Robotaxis and autonomous cars are still scary to most Americans

A convincing majority of Americans remain “afraid” to ride in self-driving vehicles, according to a survey released today by AAA.

A January survey of 1,095 people found that 61 percent do not trust self-driving vehicles (that survey question didn’t differentiate between semi-autonomous cars, like some Tesla models, and fully autonomous cars, like Waymo robotaxis).

The development of self-driving vehicles was not a priority for respondents; more people wanted investments in vehicle safety systems rather than expanding access to autonomous vehicles.

While drivers remain skeptical of autonomous vehicles, many expressed a desire for self-driving technology like automatic emergency braking, reverse automatic emergency braking, and lane keeping assistance.

In its announcement on the survey results, AAA reiterated its call for less confusing naming of the aforementioned autonomous technology.